Government will defer a decision on whether to include international aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets until the setting of the fifth carbon budget in 2016, by which point there should be more clarity on how aviation emissions will be tackled at an EU and global level.

Last month, the European Commission proposed that it would suspend international aspects of the aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme in order that progress could be made by the International Civil Aviation Organization in developing a global agreement on the treatment of aviation emissions.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey said:

“Given the uncertainty of what is happening at the EU and global level in managing aviation emissions, we think it sensible to defer our decision on the inclusion of aviation and shipping emissions in the UK’s carbon budgets.